To count or not to count.....

deadgirl81
deadgirl81 Posts: 412 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
This just came up on my facebook page - so thought I would share it, and see what peoples opinions are

http://www.coachcalorie.com/counting-calories-to-lose-weight/

Replies

  • BeingAwesome247
    BeingAwesome247 Posts: 1,171 Member
    I see the point but can't that be done all at once?
    Seems to be common sense really. Add more whole foods, less processed

    A bit extremeist I think
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,584 Member
    Thoughts? I would count. It's just another mechanism for holding you accountable for what goes in your mouth, ya know? It's worked for me.
  • RunHardBeStrong
    RunHardBeStrong Posts: 33,069 Member
    I do eat 90% healthy whole foods and have gained when I didn't count calories. It still comes down to cals in vs. cals out no matter what you eat. I'd imagine some can get away without counting but I sure can't! lol
  • Lleldiranne
    Lleldiranne Posts: 5,516 Member
    It lost me on "unless your diet is 80-90% whole foods you're wasting your time." … Yes, it is important to eat healthy foods, and as close to "whole" foods as you can. But that doesn't change the law of Thermodynamics. If you eat 3000 calories of whole foods and only use 2000 calories a day for all your activities and metabolism, you will gain wait. If you use 2000 calories and eat 1500 of processed foods, you will still lose weight.

    Yes, there are other issues that are impacted by the kind of food you eat (too many processed foods can be bad for you in other ways, some things can affect your metabolism, changing the amount of calories burned, etc). But it still is calories in vs calories out that makes a difference in weight loss. (or gain)
  • deadgirl81
    deadgirl81 Posts: 412 Member
    I've cut down (I do still have the odd ready made pizze or meal or maybe even a chicken fillet with sauce in it!) on processed food, eating a lot more home-made fresh food and I still count calories, plus I added exercise straight into it when I first decided I wanted to lose weight (whilst adding more water to my diet) and I've still managed to lose 33lbs so far - so surely it would all be about portion control and common sense?

    Edit: I also found whilst counting, it made me want to eat less as I wanted to be within my calorie intake for the day - plus it puts me into a routine which I quite like
  • Bobby__Clerici
    Bobby__Clerici Posts: 741 Member
    Thoughts? I would count. It's just another mechanism for holding you accountable for what goes in your mouth, ya know? It's worked for me.
    ^^^^^
    THIS
    Counting is easier for me as well, and I enjoy knowing, planning and getting results.
  • laserturkey
    laserturkey Posts: 1,680 Member
    Comes across as orthorexic, if you ask me.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    I actually expected that article to be a lot worse than it was.

    I think the overall message about consuming a "mostly" whole foods based diet, with a lot of fruit and vegetables, and getting exercise, are all good messages.

    The point about OCD/ED behaviors and calorie counting is a very valid point that I also agree with.

    But I don't know that I'd go so far as to say that it's a waste of time to count calories if your diet isn't nutient dense.
  • Sweet_Pea0107
    Sweet_Pea0107 Posts: 90
    I think for most people counting calories keeps then accountable for what they eat. I don't count and haven't for years. Most of my weight was lost without counting. So for some counting isn't needed but for the majority of people it is. I suffer from ocd(more in the past) and yes counting would easily become counter productive so I agree with that. I never felt like I could be truly successful if I had to continue to count, it wasn't something I wanted to do for life.. To me it was more about portion control, common sense.
  • ArroganceInStep
    ArroganceInStep Posts: 6,239 Member
    Interesting article, with some good points. Should be taken in context of other information about dieting that's readily available to help a person figure out what's best for them. It's unfortunate that people seem to have to write with the premise that 'this works for everyone is and definitely what you have to do to be successful'

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